


Divine Mercy

by Ruunkur



Series: Divine Ripples [8]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Bless Mercedes and everything she stands for, But Lorenz warrants his own tag cause there's like three fucking scenes with him, Cause writing her POV made me realize just how Fucked Up these dreams could be for a six year old, F/F, I mean, I'm a mean writer, Suicide mentions, There are more characters with speaking parts, weed is mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:28:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23781607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruunkur/pseuds/Ruunkur
Summary: In a world where dreams tell you of your past life in reverse, Mercedes believed that dreams should be different. It just never seems to be that way, though.
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Mercedes von Martritz
Series: Divine Ripples [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1659364
Kudos: 6





	Divine Mercy

**Author's Note:**

> I was so close to naming this Divine Munchies.
> 
> Alas, I did not get it finished yesterday(or... worked on it at all yesterday.)
> 
> Also, hi! I am definitely not giving up on this series. I have more time than before, I just. Apparently can't _work_ on this damn thing unless I'm at work.
> 
> Also, by the end of this, I do plan on having a short sort of... timeline, so you can see just how. Confusing it will probably get when it comes to scenes and crap later on, the more I write. Just. 17 more to go! Also, bless the dreamless state that is sleeping while high.
> 
> So, I don't know if I have a 'consistant' writing style, especially in this... series. From like, Sylvain's to Mercedes. Sorry about that. I just. Write what's there, I suppose?

_Mercedes stopped as she looked over the field. She had been separated from the group two days’ prior and still, she couldn’t find them. With a glance over her shoulder, watching the sun sink lower, she grimaced._

_She hadn’t quite believed what she was seeing, when Dimitri had reappeared. Like a ghost in the mists, moving between the people._

_They had gathered, most of them, believing that Dimitri was back, for good._

_Only, that hadn’t been quite right._

_What was it that Felix had always been saying? Dimitri was dead and it was a beast wearing his face?_

_Mercedes shook her head, shaking the thought away like rain. She looked back up at the sky, turning when a shadow fell across her. A monster, giant and staring her down. She took a step backwards, raising her hands._

_The demonic beast let out a snarl, lunging at Mercedes. She tripped over a stone, the beast’s maw descending on her. She screamed as teeth clamped down and she was swung upwards, pain coursing through her body and-_

Mercedes jolted awake, her eyes wide. She pressed a hand to her mouth to silence the scream, the six year old trembling. She pulled the blanket closer around her, even as her door opened.

“Mercie?” Her mother walked across the bedroom, flicking on the overhead light as she did so. “Mercie, what happened?”

Mercedes closed her eyes, huddling against her mother’s chest. The woman was sitting on the bed, an arm wrapped around the little girl.

“T-the monster… ate me,” she whispered, closing her eyes and hiding her face.

“There’s no monsters here,” the woman cooed, “you’re safe.”

Mercedes shook her head, drawing in a breath. “In my dream, the monster ate me.”

The woman gave her a slow nod, wrapping the arm tighter around the child. “You’re safe here, Mercie, you’re safe.”

*~*~*~*~*

“You’re telling us you don’t dream, at all?”

Mercedes looked up from her book, marking the page and looking at the others with a frown. They had been trying to get her attention for some time now, though she had been doing so well on ignoring them. “That’s correct!” She smiled, then, replacing the frown on her face.

“You had to have dreamt at some point!” a teenager retorted, waving a hand at Mercedes.

“Maybe I just didn’t have a life before this.”

The lies were easy to speak, Mercedes shifting in her seat. It was early in the morning, classes having not started yet.

“That’s not possible!” The orange haired boy moved forward, the others parting for Ferdinand.

Mercedes let out a sigh, but plastered on a smile anyway. “Hello, Ferdinand.” She waved at him, opening her book and holding it up so they could see.

“How can you be sure you don’t dream?”

Mercedes looked at him, shaking her head. “Your dreams are supposed to be private. If I did dream, why would I want to share it with any of you?”

“It is every noble-”

One of their other classmates laughed as Ferdinand began, Mercedes just shaking her head at him. The other teenagers turned their attention to weekend plans, Mercedes letting her smile drop as she returned to reading her book, the dull throb of being bitten into chasing her through the day.

*~*~*~*~*

“Mercie!”

The teenager stopped as her childhood nickname was called, her gaze settling on a red haired girl. She waved a hand, her mouth spreading into a smile. It was easy for her to make her way through the trickle of students, stopping before Mercedes and taking her hands.

“I thought that was you!”

Mercedes blinked at her, her own smile hesitant. “Have we met before?”

“Annette.” She smiled at Mercedes, her eyes sparkling. “Unless…” Annette hesitated, Mercedes shaking her head.

“No, no, of course I know you, Annette.” Mercedes looked around the hallways. Even the few people that were there gave them glances. “Just, not here, okay?”

Annette nodded, watching her. She reached out, touching Mercedes’s shoulder. “Want to give me your number? We can stay in touch!”

Mercedes nodded, pulling a notebook out of her bag and tearing off the piece of paper. She jotted down the number, handing the slip to Annette. “Are you going to this school now?”

Annette nodded, a big grin on her face. “Just moved to town! I’m so glad to see that you’re here, Mercie. It will be so nice to see you again.”

“Of course!” Mercie smiled, leaning in and giving her old friend a hug. “Do you need to be shown around the school?”

“Please, I would appreciate that.”

*~*~*~*~*

“Mercedes, are you listening to me?”

Mercedes turned to look at the doctor, a frown crossing her features. The room felt sterile, too clean. The smell reminding her of healer tents and pain. She closed her eyes, shaking her head.

“I’m- I’m sorry, I…”

The doctor held up a hand, a sad smile crossing his face. “Grief is hard to process. If you ever feel-”

“You think I’m upset because of grief?” Mercedes touched the necklace around her neck, closing her eyes. “That’s absolutely not the reason.”

The man frowns, crossing his arms over his chest. “And, if you do not feel grief, what is it that you feel?”

Mercedes shifted in the chair, her fingers digging into the fabric of her jeans. She met the doctor’s gaze, words bubbling up inside of her. “I feel resentment towards every piece of media that tells us to embrace the “us” of the past. The pieces that tell people that their dreams are just as much them as they are a part of the past. Dreams can easily be nightmares for so many people.”

“Do you feel like you may ki-”

“No!” Mercedes snapped, her eyes flashing. “This nonsense that the dreams should be everything in your life? That’s dangerous. Dreams, past lives, they’re nothing more than prettied up lies fed to us to keep us complacent. There is nothing I wanted to see when I was six, a child, from my dreams!”

“Miss Martin, please-”

He raised his hands to placate her, Mercedes jerking her head upwards.

“The dreams are truly nothing but nightmares. More people die of suicide because of their dreams than any other reason, but we sweep all of that under the rug, do we not? Why do children have to suffer knowing how they died when they’re so young?” Mercedes bit back the tears that came welling up with her frustration. “Why do we let dreams control us?”

“There is no reason to raise your-”

“I can and will raise my voice!” Mercedes snapped. “You do nothing but offer empty words to grieving people. You don’t understand that, maybe, my brother would still be alive-”

“If he was truly so disgusted with his past life, then perhaps he deserved to die.”

“Did you live your previous life in a war, Doctor Belie?”

“No, I can’t say that my previous life was set in a war.”

“Then you do not understand what drives people to do the things they do. You can read pretty words all you want on your papers, you can pretend to know. You can parade around your degree like it is something more than a worthless piece of paper. But you can never know what drives someone to do what they do, not when it comes to war.” Mercedes stared the doctor down, arms crossed over her chest. “I believe we are done here.”

“You still have-”

Mercedes stood up from the couch. “I don’t care. I am not coming back.”

“Mis Martin-”

Mercedes slammed the door shut between her and the doctor, waltzing into the waiting room. She ignored the receptionist on her way past, leaving the office and meeting her mother in the car.

“Is the session over?” her mother asked, glancing at Mercedes.

“I don’t want to go back to him.” Mercedes stared out the window, her shoulders slumping. “I don’t want to go back to any of them, mother. They don’t… understand.”

She nodded, resting a hand on her daughter’s shoulder before pulling out of the parking lot and heading home.

*~*~*~*~*

“What are these?”

Mercedes looked down at the small canister of cookies, glancing back up at Annette with a frown. The young woman opened her mouth, flushing and glancing away.

“Edibles. I… my father sometimes has trouble sleeping, due to certain things and they help him sleep. Without dreams, sleep without dreams. I thought maybe you would be able to benefit from them, too.”

Mercedes looked down at the tin, looking back up at Annette. “Oh, but I couldn’t…”

“I know you don’t like dreaming, this could be a way to help you.” Annette cleared her throat. “I can also take them back if you don’t want to try, I should have… asked first. Before I brought them, that is.”

Mercedes shook her head, a smile on her face. “No, I will try it. Thank you, Annie, I really appreciate it.”

Annette nodded, smiling at her. “I like to know that you’re happy, Mercedes. If it doesn’t work, let me know and I won’t mention it again.”

Mercedes shook her head, pulling Annette into a hug. “I’m just so touched that you put this much thought into it, thank you.”

Annette returned the hug. “You’re welcome, Mercie.”

*~*~*~*~*

“You know, we were… devastated to find out what happened.”

Mercedes looked up at Annette, tilting her head. She had knitting in her lap, her needles clacking together while Annette worked on a paper.

“I mean, we didn’t have much to go off of-” Annette broke off, dropping her gaze to the table. “I know you don’t like to talk about it, Mercie…”

“It’s not that I don’t like talking about it, per say.” Mercedes set her knitting in her lap, meeting Annette’s gaze. “There were good things that happened, too. Everyone who will talk about it, speaks of glorified deaths and how they were so happy to have that first dream when they were young.”

“Those are the people with good deaths.” Annette glanced away from Mercedes, letting out a sigh. “You know the man I hang out with, when I’m at the library?”

“Felix, yes.”

Annette let out a laugh but smiled. “He killed me at Gronder field. That was shortly after you… disappeared. Dreams… they can be bad, but they don’t define us.”

Mercedes frowned. “I know that they don’t define us, Annie.” She glanced towards the oven, consulting the timer. “That first dream I had was… horrible. It scared me. And, it didn’t get better when my brother started dreaming.”

“Oh, Emile-”

“Killed himself when I was seventeen because he couldn’t handle the blood soaked dreams.” Mercedes frowned, realizing she had never really told Annette. They hadn’t discussed Emile, not in all the years they had been together. “The dreams don’t define us, but it is a cruel truth to hold over a child’s head. We get told that the dreams are special, stories of our past being repeated so we can remember. What do you do with the people that don’t wish to remember, Annette?”

Annette hesitated, dropping her gaze to her lap. “I don’t…”

“I didn’t mean to…” Mercedes let out a sigh. “I wonder if the dreams would be different, if the first thing you experienced wasn’t your death.”

Annette nodded.

Mercedes moved back in her chair, getting up to get the cookies out of the oven when the timer went off. “I would rather you didn’t mention that tidbit about my brother.”

“Of course, I won’t!” Annette looked at Mercedes, her eyes distant. “I’m sorry, Mercie.”

The woman shook her head, smiling at Annette. “It’s fine. There are some good times mixed in with the bad, but that’s just life, isn’t it?”

Annette nodded, glancing down at her hands. “Do you… ever wonder if it could have been different?”

Mercedes looked at her, frowning. “There was always a chance for it to be different, yes. But, that’s not the hand we were dealt. Now.” Mercedes picked up her knitting from the table as she came to sit back down, studying the scarf she had started on. “What do you think of the colors?”

Annette studied the yarn. “Needs something a bit darker,” she commented, “to contrast the yellow.”

Mercedes nodded, putting it down on the table to look at the yarn. Annette smiled at her, though the smile dropped after a moment, her attention dropping back on the work before her.

*~*~*~*~*

Mercedes leaned against the counter, popping her jaw as she let out a yawn. The morning was passing by slowly, leaving her too much time to think.

When the bell rang, she straightened, watching the man that entered. He gave the bakery a once over, his mouth pulling into a half frown before he saw Mercedes, a smile replacing the frown.

“Good morning.”

Mercedes smiled at him, her eyes lit in amusement. “Good morning, how may I help you?”

“My name is Lorenz Gloster. I have recently taken over ownership of the teahouse several blocks away. I was informed that you were one of the best bakeries in town.” His gaze slipped from Mercedes, turning to study the selection.

“Well, I wouldn’t say one of the best, but I do try.” Mercedes kept her smile on her face as Lorenz looked over the goods, his gaze darting to her. “Is there anything in particular you’re looking for?”

Lorenz shifted, standing back up and pushing hair out of his face. “Would you be interested in a partnership?”

Mercedes raised her eyebrow, cocking her head to the side.

“What I mean is,” Lorenz began, letting out a flustered huff, “I am looking to restart the tea house. And I want to do it properly. Sorry, I have been running around for the better part of the day and seem to be getting a bit mixed up on my words.”

“Go on, don’t worry and take your time with it.” Mercedes smiled, shifting her stance to settle her weight more evenly.

Lorenz let out a sigh. “There are several steps in undertaking this goal. I need to know if you are… capable of replicating the older bakery recipes. Stuff that isn’t… too common to find. I’ve heard you were the best when it comes to replicating recipes.”

Mercedes’s eyes jumped, her smile growing. “Ah, you’ve come to the right place then, Lorenz. My name is Mercedes Martin.” She stuck her hand over the counter, Lorenz shaking it thoughtfully. “Do you have a list of recipes you were interested in?”

Lorenz relaxed at the question, glancing over his shoulder. “There are a few that I could think of off the top of my head, but as far as recipes go…” He shook his head, letting out a sigh. “I’m a bit short on those. I just have the ideas of the old desserts that were popular during certain time periods”

Mercedes nodded, dropping her hand back to the counter. “Well, I do have an interest in-”

“Martritz.” Lorenz snapped his fingers, Mercedes brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

“I apologize, I don’t know-”

“Ah, my fault, I just-”

The pair looked at each other, Mercedes letting out a laugh. Lorenz gestured for her to continue instead. “No, no, don’t worry about it. I… am not a fan of remembering.”

“Ah, my apologies for-”

Mercedes shook her head. “Don’t worry about it! What are you looking for, exactly?”

Lorenz shifted, adjusting himself before he listed off several different things. Mercedes raised an eyebrow, a smile gracing her features.

“I would be delighted in finding the recipes and making them for you, Lorenz. When do you want to do a test run?”

“Here, give me a call when you think you’re ready.” Lorenz handed her a business card, Mercedes looking it over and nodding. She tucked it into her pocket, eyes bright.

“I look forward to working with you, Lorenz.”

*~*~*~*~*

“These are divine, Mercedes.”

Mercedes sat across the small tea table, glancing towards the cluster of treats she had insisted on laying out for Lorenz.

“I’m glad I could do them justice.” She shifted in her seat, glancing around the room curiously. “How much of the house do you have running at the moment?”

Lorenz frowned, setting the pastry down on his small plate. “We have four rooms set up for sure, with another six currently being worked on. I have several people assisting in the set up. Hilda and Marianne have a wonderful eye and enjoy working together.” The two women had been there when Mercedes had come around for her apartment, both smeared with paint and laughing.

They had declined towards staying for a tasting of treats, Hilda mentioning something about a date and a shower.

Mercedes nodded, glancing down at her own cup. She had spoken with Lorenz often over the past week, finding the man to be interesting, if not quite pleasant, to be around. “You mentioned, prior, that you were interested in setting up… a group of sorts?”

It had been something mentioned in passing when Mercedes had called him the previous day, getting directions to the house and what time to come so they could have a proper tasting. It was pleasant, reminiscent of when Byleth would set time aside to speak and see how each student was adjusting or to host a tea party for their birthdays.

“Ah, yes. I have…” Lorenz frowned, glancing down at his pastry. “I would like to meet others, who remember…”

“The reunification war.”

“Yes.”

“You’re looking for someone, then?” Mercedes looked up at Lorenz, meeting his gaze. “Did you ever find what you were looking for, Lorenz?”

He shifted, his hands falling to his teacup. “I dare say, aren’t the dreams supposed to be personal?”

“You are the one who wants to start a club for it.” She smiled even as she spoke, her eyes bright in amusement at the flush that was crawling across Lorenz’s face.

Lorenz opened his mouth, closing it and closing his eyes.

“I have always disliked the dreams,” Mercedes admitted, “but I can still find peace in them, when I do dream. Annie says talking about it is good.”

Lorenz nodded. “Yes, I suppose I am looking to reconnect with some of my old friends. I do not know if many are… around. It’s so uncommon to find others that come from your same timeline.”

Mercedes nodded, smiling at him. “If the pastries are up to snuff, I’d be more than happy to enter a business deal with your teahouse, Lorenz.”

“You know, it will be more than a teahouse, correct?” Lorenz asked, brushing hair out of his face. “This place can’t stand on its own as a teahouse.”

Mercedes nodded. “I don’t mind. This place… you care a lot for it, don’t you?”

Lorenz nodded, meeting Mercedes’s gaze. “I would like to see it succeed.”

“Then you’ll do an amazing job at it, regardless of which direction you take it. I’m glad you found what you were searching for. And that you found someone to share it with.”

Another topic touched on, no matter how briefly.

“She died too soon.” Lorenz looked away, his eyes full of sadness. “Lysithea went to visit her parents, after our second child was born. She… did not make it back.”

Mercedes reached out, touching his wrist with a kind smile. “I hope life was kinder to you, as you grew older.”

He just shook himself, picking up the half eaten pastry from his plate. “I learned a lot.”

Mercedes smiled, sitting back in her chair. “Good. Now, what do you think of the pastries?”

They chatted for several more minutes, their conversation coming to its conclusion once Lorenz sampled all of the pastries. Mercedes never let her smile drop as she spoke with Lorenz, working out the details of the contract.

*~*~*~*~*

“Hello!”

Mercedes stuck her head in from the back door as the bell rang, her voice carrying across the shop. It was near closing time, Mercedes stepping from the back. She wiped her hands on her apron, stepping up to the counter.

“Uh, I was looking…” The man glanced at the shelves, frowning. “Leonie from the coffee shop directed me here. I’m… looking for a savory and spicy dessert that’s not sweet.”

Mercedes let out a hum, walking over to the display case. “Are you sure you’re not looking for an entree to a dinner, instead of dessert?”

The man laughed, his body easing as he looked around the shop. “Yeah, he doesn’t have a particular fondness for sweets, so I’m looking for something… different, but something that he might enjoy.”

Mercedes nodded, tapping a finger against the counter. “Maybe some sour cherries.”

The man gave her a look and she smiled.

“They’re a hard candy, good for sucking on. Has a bit of a kick, as well.” Mercedes gestured to the display. “Everything in here is made by myself and my partner, in case you were curious.”

The man shook his head. “I’ll try some of the sour candies. Got any other suggestions?”

Mercedes pondered the question, smiling. “I do have a few recipes, but I don’t have anything on hand right now. When are you looking to surprise your special someone?”

The man opened his mouth, his face flushing red hot. “Tonight, I’m on my way home from work.”

“Bad news?” Mercedes guessed, taking in the back that already hung from the man’s hand. He just shook his head, amused.

“I have yet to decide if it’s bad or not. It depends on how he reacts.”

Mercedes nodded, letting out a smile. “The sour cherries are what I have on hand right now.”

“I’ll buy a bag.”

“Perfect.” Mercedes rang up the transaction as the man set the bag on the counter from the display, glancing at the flyers on the counter.

“You… ever attend?” he asked.

Mercedes glanced at the flyers, announcing the ongoing event at the Teahouse for the Golden Days. She nodded. “When I have the time. My partner enjoys going, though I don’t attend often. It can be fun.”

He nodded, glancing at her for just a moment before he handed over payment, sliding the candy into his bag. “Thank you,” he said as he collected his change from her, “and I shall be back.”

He gave her a wink, Mercedes shaking her head as she watched Sylvain strut out of the bakery. She considered calling out to him, but let it go, content to finish the clean down and shut the shop for the day.

*~*~*~*~*

Mercedes let out a snort as she heard her cell phone ring, sitting up from where she had been kneeling. She drug her hands down her dress, fixing it before picking up the phone.

“Ah, hello, Lorenz! How are you today?” She put as much cheer as she could into her voice, hearing Annette let out a groan from where she had been left.

“Good afternoon, Mercedes. I was actually hoping if I could request a favor from you. Also, I have a check that will be put in the mail, towards our account.”

Mercedes muffled the mouthpiece as Annette sat up, smoothing down her hair and raising an eyebrow. “Lorenz,” Mercedes explained, holding the phone back up to her ear and planning on how to make it up to Annette once she was off the phone. “Of course! What is it that you need?”

She heard Lorenz take a breath, the woman raising her eyebrow as she ran a hand through her hair, fixing it for the moment.

“We are going to have a special guest next Thursday, for the Golden Days. I was hoping you could bake some extra special treats?”

Mercedes laughed, her lips tugging into a grin at the wording. “Do you mean special as in edibles or special as in-” she began, seeing Annette look at her, her eyebrows raised in horror at the mention of Lorenz and edibles.

Annette shook her head, pressing a hand to her mouth to muffle her laughter.

“As in regular special. Please, I would rather not have a repeat of the last accident.”

Mercedes laughed again, shaking her head. It had been a lovely meeting, with everyone so relaxed. And it had also been the last meeting that Edelgard and Hubert attended.

“Of course, and I am still so sorry about that. I’ll make sure I have enough for the night. I look forward to seeing you next Thursday, Lorenz.”

“Of course, Mercedes. Is your bakery doing well?”

“It is doing fantastic.” Mercedes let Lorenz chatter for several more minutes, an impatient look from Annette giving her enough time to extract herself from the conversation. The woman rolled her eyes as Mercedes silenced the ringer.

“You could have called him back, you know.”

Mercedes shook her head. “I know, I forgot to turn my ringer off. Shall we get back to what we were doing?” She waltzes back to the couch, leaning down and kissing Annette. The woman reached up, curling her hands into the top of Mercedes’s short dress.

“Of course,” she murmured against Mercedes’s lips.

**Author's Note:**

> And yes, they were totally having sex when Lorenz called.
> 
> Also, semi rough idea of the timeline for Mercie here:
> 
> Death Dream  
> Talk with (freshman) Ferdinand(Mercie is a senior in high school)(14/17)  
> Mercie talking to a therapist re: her brother’s suicide  
> Talk with (sophomore) Annette. First meeting w/ her(Mercie is a senior in high school)  
> Talk with Annette re: Edibles(still in high school)  
> Annette and Mercie discussing dreams(and Felix) Annette is 20/Mercie 23  
> Mercie(27) meeting Lorenz(24) for the first time  
> Mercie & Lorenz second meeting  
> Mercie & Sylvain talk(Before dinner with Felix)  
> Phone call with Lorenz
> 
> In case the skipping around was a bit too much in this one.


End file.
